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Calgary Zoo’s Panda Pad Taking Shape

Panda-lovers take heart. Work on the new Panda Passage habitat at the Calgary Zoo is in full swing with crews on schedule for the 2018 arrival of its charismatic residents.

Crews have so far completed the installation of underground utility lines to service the new facility. Demolition of outbuildings and other previously existing features within the construction zone has also been completed. Foundations have been completed and framing is underway on some of the planned retail buildings to accommodate the expected 20 per cent increase in visitors to the zoo.

Renovations to the Eurasian Gateway Building, formerly home to the zoo’s rhinos and komodo dragons, have begun and will continue throughout the spring. The repurposed building will house the interior elements of the panda habitat.

The Panda Passage habitat is being built to the standards of the Living Building Challenge, an international certification program that aims to create an advanced measure of sustainability. The challenge strives to provide a framework for design, construction and the symbiotic relationship between people and all aspects of the built environment.

About 200 construction workers are involved in the development of the panda habitat and related infrastructure. In addition, the project will create an estimated 40 zoo-related jobs in the Calgary region.

The Alberta government announced $10 million in Capital Plan funding for the development of the Panda Passage in 2016. Additionally, the City of Calgary contributed $8.15 million in funding provided to the city through the province’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative for the expansion project.

“It is so exciting to see construction underway for the Panda Passage habitat. The Calgary Zoo is a key tourism attraction for Calgary and for Alberta. This investment is helping to improve the lives of Albertans by creating good-paying jobs and new economic opportunities. I am thrilled – as I imagine all Albertans are – that these furry, fun-loving bears are coming to our province.”

- Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism

“We are delighted for the continued support of the provincial government on this important conservation project. Preparations are well underway across the zoo to host this iconic vulnerable species, which will have significant economic and tourism impact both in Calgary and Alberta. Our commitment to protecting the world around us extends through all aspects, from the care that we provide to the habitat the giant pandas will call home.”

- Clément Lanthier, president and CEO, Calgary Zoo

The loan by China of four pandas, including the twin cubs born in Canada in October 2015, is part of the Giant Panda Conservation Breeding Program to ensure the survival of the species. The pandas, currently on loan to the Toronto Zoo, will arrive in Calgary in 2018.

The Calgary Zoo Panda Passage project is an important step forward in growing Alberta’s vibrant tourism sector, both locally and provincially. In 2014, tourism generated $8.3 billion in visitor spending and supported more than 127,000 jobs and more than 19,000 small and medium-sized businesses.